Photos for commercial use are not hard to come by these days. A number of stock photo websites offer standard and extended licenses to cover your usage. The Internet even lures you to some free items, but do not be fooled. You could face serious consequences when you get caught by the copyright police. So, we suggest you purchase stock images for commercial use from reliable and well-established stock photo agencies, like iStock.

iStock is one of the leading stock content marketplaces in the world. It was acquired by Getty Images in 2006, making it a part of an ever bigger player. Created in 2000, the site pioneered the crowdsourced stock industry and became the original source of user-generated images, vectors, illustrations and videos.

For over 15 years, the stock photo website has given artists a platform to make money and has allowed creatives around the world to use them in a variety of projects. Today, it remains as a key destination for professionals and businesses who want to make an impact without breaking the bank. Millions of high quality, royalty free images are accessible in the library. All can be downloaded with standard or extended license.

The Standard License allows you to use the images in personal, business and commercial purposes that aren’t otherwise restricted by the license. This means you can use the images in any project for as long as you like, according to the terms and conditions of iStock. On the other hand, the Extended License gives you additional rights in exchange of an additional fee. It allows you to use the content in even more ways, such as:

500,000+ printed copies. You can use the images in advertising, marketing and promotional materials as well as in newspapers, magazines, books and product packaging.

Share files. You can also share your images with multiple members of your team. Just add a multi-seat license to let them access your files.

Physical products. With an extended license, you use any of the images to create merchandise for sale such as posters, postcards and t-shirts. You can also online print on demand products. Just add a products for resale license.

Digital templates for resale. Finally, you can use the images on electronic templates for resale such as e-greeting cards, brochure design template, and website template.

Aside from these marvelous extended usage rights, you also increase your legal indemnification when you purchase stock photos for commercial use with an extended license. Every files in the stock site comes with a $10,000 legal guarantee. But when you purchase an extended legal guarantee, you can increase your coverage to $250,000. You won’t be infringed on any copyright, moral right, trademark or intellectual property when you use their images.

All extended options in the stock site are priced at 18 credits. That’s between $144 and $70, depending on the size of pack you buy. Considering that iStock offers premium and exclusive images, this is a very reasonable deal. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up to the stock site and get awesome images for your creative project!

One of the many questions that bloggers ask is, “How many images per blog post do I need?” There is no hard rule on this, but there is certainly a number that is too many. Adding too many blog article images kind of spoils the best parts. Yes, it is just like watching your favorite TV series. When you find out who in the Game of Thrones gets killed off without actually experiencing the drama itself, you feel like you have been robbed of the thrill of anticipation.

The same is true with blog featured images. You put up your blog to tell stories or share your views. Surely, you want to provide your readers with the thrill of anticipation at the thought of re-living your moments or empathizing with you. They desperately want to see clearly what you are trying to communicate. So, when is a number of blog article images too much?

Buffer did a study on high ranking posts and found that an average of about 3 images or 1 image per 350 words affects their performance in search. Compared to blogs with no images at all, a post with at least one image has more traffic than its pure-text counterpart. The posts with the highest time on page has an average of one image as well. How will it fair when you add 13? Well, the answer is the ranking does not really change that much.

The number of images you put in your blog depends solely to you. All we can say is “Trust your gut.” If you feel that two or more images should be on your article to make your message clearer, go ahead. But do keep in mind that high quality images are not for free and pumping your page with them will not get it any higher than what 2 or 3 images can do. Before you make your blog a stream of images with no end in sight, consider what your readers will feel too.

Every stock media agency have its own unique licensing guidelines. Before you purchase a stock footage video, make sure you read and understand what is written in the license agreement to prevent legal issues in the future. Here are some of the things you should review first before jumping into buying any stock footage from any stock media agency.

Licenses

Most stock media agencies offer two kinds of licenses: Standard and Extended or Standard and Enhanced. It depends on the stock media agency you purchase the digital files. Each stock site has its own term used for varying licenses. The difference is that one license provides more distribution rights than the other. For web-only stock video footage, you do not need to purchase the license that offers more distribution rights.

License Restrictions

Getting a license for your stock video footage does not give you all the rights to use the footage in any way you want. There are certain restrictions you have to adhere to. Some of the most common restrictions that all stock sites include are:

The use of the footage in pornography

Depict personal endorsement of a model

Use as logo and trademark

You cannot use a stock video footage with a model and inject your own subject material, especially if it has a controversial nature. You will need to place a disclaimer along with the content. Also, check stock footage with editorial use only license. You can only use this type of videos as part of an editorial piece or news. You cannot use it for marketing and sales.

Legal Guarantee

When you subscribe and download from a stock photo agency, you can gel legal guarantee for free. This protects you from any legal issues that may arise with the use of the stock video footage in the future. Of course, you have to follow everything stipulated in the licensing agreement to prevent revocation of your rights to use the image and avoid copyright violations.

Modification Clauses

Some stock media agencies place restriction on how much modifications you can make to the original video or the audio and music that comes along with it. That’s why you need to read carefully and understand what is written in the license agreement to avoid problems in the future. Also understand the extent of modifications you are allowed to make.

Media that engage the audience is always more valuable than media that does not [engage]. A stock video footage is considered as a rich media because people nowadays love watching videos. You can definitely count on them to engage your audience. You don’t have to find a popular video and use it. You can always dig deep into the search page results for videos that are not commonly used by companies.

Royalty-free images are simple. They can be used in any creative project for as long as you like, with some restrictions of course. On the other hand, rights managed stock photo are an entirely new type of license. With this license, you only pay for what you are using the images for. Thus, you need to define how you will use the image, where and when you will use it, and for how long you are going to use it. One is not better than the other. You just choose the license that best fits your creative needs.

Can royalty-free images be licensed as rights managed? The answer is no. This might be a no-brainer, but let us talk it through so you will truly understand the nature of rights managed stock photos.

When you buy a rights managed image, you have expectations on exclusive rights (or non-exclusive depending on your requirements). Let’s say, for instance, you purchased the exclusive rights of an image for one year in South America. This means you will be the only one with those rights for that period of time in that duration. After all, you are paying for a higher price. It is only right that the image you bought has been used a lot less if not exclusively by you.

The idea behind buying rights managed stock photos is to minimize if not eliminate conflict with another company’s usage, especially your competitors.

Why should you choose rights managed over royalty-free?

At first glance, royalty-free might appear to offer the better value for your money. So, why would you consider buying rights managed stock photos? There are actually a number of good reasons to choose RM images. Too often, many of them are overlooked by buyers. These include:

Rights managed stock images offer a wider range of topics.

They continue to be the industry norm.

The provide protection from reuse of the same image.

They are sold by top photographers in the market.

They have high quality stock photos.

They protect the buyer.

They are cheaper compared to commissioned work.

They eliminate opportunities for imitation.

They are NOT ALWAYS more expensive.

They weed out inferior images.

They allow you to purchase exclusive use licenses.

Stock photography continues to grow with both royalty-free and rights managed holding their places in the field. There is no wrong choice between these two types of licenses. You can always choose whichever suits you creative needs and budget. However, rights managed photos provide a certain level of protection for both you and the photographer – something that you can never have with royalty-free. Although they are usually more expensive, they certainly have their value. In certain cases, it is the best choice to ensure the success of your creative projects.

Half of iStock imagery is now half the price, but that does not stop the website from providing coupon codes to its valued customers. It partners with Stock Photo Secrets to distribute active and valid promo codes that you can use on your next purchase. With plenty of creative content in the library, you need all the help you can get to stay on your budget. You do not need to look around for the best deals because we already have it here for you.

Best Content at the Right Price

iStock does not only offer high quality content but also the best prices. With over 70 million stock images, it provides several options to complete your creative projects – no matter how diverse they are. Its flexible rates also offer the best value for your money. You can download images by purchasing credit packages or subscribing to a plan. Either way, there is an iStock coupon code you can use to enjoy substantial savings.

Stock Photo Secrets offers new and exclusive iStock promo code 2016 that will save you 10% on credits and 15% on subscriptions. You can redeem them on your first or next purchase from the stock photo website. Unlike other promo codes that only last for a short period, these coupons can give you discounts on your yearly subscription. Redeem it now by entering the code to the iStock promo code box on checkout.

Faster Search with Reliable Results

Content and price are not the only features that iStock are best at. The stock photo website has upgraded its search filters to help you find a better match for your search and your budget even. The streamlined grid and rollover allow you to focus on images and relevant information and the improved search results give you exactly what you are looking for. All thanks to the recent search upgrades, finding the perfect image has become a lot easier.

iStock allows you to explore millions of high quality images at ridiculously great prices. It has diversified rates that adjust to your creative needs and budget. Whether you are a student or businessperson, you will surely benefit from an iStock account. You can purchase per image with credits or subscribe to a plan to jump-start your creative projects. Moreover, you can get iStock coupons to purchase premium images at much discounted prices.

What are you waiting for? Get incredible stock at flexible pricing when you purchase credits or subscribe to a plan today. Do not forget to get your iStock coupons from Stock Photo Secrets, too. You will surely get value for your money, along with improved user experience.

A successful visual marketing incorporates images that sell and convert. The right kind of cheap stock photography is the difference between effective social media graphics and ads, and those with minimal to no effect. Images, depending on how you handle them, can attract or turn your customers away. They have become important elements of marketing. That’s why you need to learn a few tips and tricks to find the perfect cheap stock photos.

Here are some tips to help you turn your eyes to stock photo cheap pros:

Cheap stock images are a valuable investment. Do not compromise the quality of your images. Stay away from pixelated, low quality ones because users won’t click grainy images. Make sure that they are clean, crisp have good resolution, and in focus. Keep in mind that high quality images gives your message more power.

Your images should express the message of your ad. Choose an image that lends well to your message. It should possess enough power represent your message or act as an accent. Show a visual representation of your message so your readers will understand you – even without reading your message.

Your target audience should see themselves in your design. When choosing cheap stock photos (check some agencies here) for visual marketing, picture the people you want to reach. Put them in situations that they can relate to and try to make feel real.

Include people in your photos to evoke strong emotions. As you know, humans are emotional creatures. To connect with people, you need to portray emotion that they would feel for your brand. If people feel something for your brand, they will have a stronger connection.

Use hashtags and popular search terms. You also need to optimize your cheap stock images for search. When you optimize your images, you can create more traffic to your website. Think about the search terms you frequently use and determine how you can apply them to your optimization.

Make use of Instagram. Yes, the image-based website can be your marketing campaign best friend. You do not need to always post pictures of your products. You can also use cheap stock photos that fit with your overall theme.

Never use the image for the sake of using an image. When choosing cheap stock photos, always have a purpose – especially if you are using generic photos. People can smell them from miles away. However, if they are used with the right adjustment and imaging, they can be really useful.

There are many other useful tips in using stock photos cheap to creative an effective visual marketing. We are happy to share them with you. Watch out for our next blog to learn more about the use of images in enhancing your visual marketing.